Blood test could find smokers at risk of heart disease

A blood test could soon be used to determine if a smoker is at risk of developing heart disease or not.

That is according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Centre, whose study is available in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Dr Anand Rohatgi, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and co-lead author of the study, said: 'We now are close to having a blood test to help measure the smoking-related effects that contribute to atherosclerotic heart disease.

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'Smoking is one of the biggest contributors to the development of heart disease.'

The blood test works by measuring the levels of a lung protein (circulating pulmonary surfactant B) in the blood of smokers, which can indicate a build-up of dangerous plaque in the blood vessels.

It is based on a Dallas survey of 3,200 smokers aged between 30 and 65, which found that those with high levels of the protein in their blood had a more dangerous build-up of plaque in the aorta - the largest artery in the body.

Blockages in the aorta could lead to heart disease, heart attacks and strokes, of which smokers are at an increased risk.

In the UK, around ten million adults smoke cigarettes, although this could be an underestimate of around 2.8 per cent according to Cancer Research UK.

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